


The Dollhouse of Innocence

by ETNMystic



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: Brainwashing, Dolls, Gen, Innocence, Mild Profanity, Sexism, dollhouse - Freeform, more like dollTARDIS, non-descript nudity but like in a non-sexual way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-08 12:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17981669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ETNMystic/pseuds/ETNMystic
Summary: Mystic awakens to find herself trapped inside of a huge dollhouse. Now she, Andrea Russett, and Nikita Dragun must work together to find a way out, free their friends, and confront the mastermind of the dollhouse of innocence.





	1. Chapter 1

_Hey girl_

_Open the walls_

_Play with your dolls_

_We’ll be a perfect family._

* * *

 

Mystic opened her eyes.

The room in her vision was blurry, but the amount of pastels was apparent. It took her a while for her eyes to adjust. Sitting up, her glasses still miraculously on her face, she whirled around.

She found herself in a pastel purple four-poster bed inside of a rather large bedroom. The walls were colored a very light pink and the ceiling was as high as a kite. Or rather Mystic felt that SHE was as high as a kite.

“Where the hell am I?”

Or rather, that was what she wanted to say. But what instead came out of her mouth was

“Where the hello am I?”

She covered her mouth, only to feel her arms bending unusually. Looking at her arms, she found that she had ball joints at her elbows.

“What the fork is going on here?” she practically screamed.  
“Beaver dam it, why can’t I forking swear?!”

“Mystic?” a voice called out.

Jumping out of bed, Mystic walked towards the sound, until she nearly toppled down.

“Oh bed sheet!” she cried out, catching her balance.

Just below her was a long set of stairs, widening near the bottom. Or she imagined it would be. It was practically impossible to see the bottom.

“Who’s there?” she called out.

“It’s Andrea Russett! Where are you?”

“I don’t know. I’m up someplace really forking high. Something’s wrong with my arms, though, and I can’t forking swear.”

“Maybe if you come down here, we can figure out what’s going on.”

Mystic tried to take a step down, but the stairs seemed to be an escalator going only one way.

“I can’t get down. The stairs will only take me up. Any ideas how I can get down?”

There was a moment of silence.

“I think I saw a slide to the right of the stairs.”

“So that would be to my left?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Mystic, at this point, noticed how strangely she was walking. Touching her knees, she also found that they were ball-jointed.

“Andrea, is it just me or do you have ball joints at your knees as well?”

“And elbows?”

“Yeah!”

“Yeah, I just thought I was high at first.”

“Same here, but it was more because of this strange forking room.”

“I also get your struggle with the swearing. I tried to say poop, but ended up saying bed sheet.”

By this time, she’d found the slide. It was a spiral slide.

“Colored pastel forking pink, of course,” she huffed.

Sitting down on the slide, it was at that moment, she realized that she was wearing a white nightgown made of silk. Of course, it’s white.

_I’m gonna have to have a talk with him once this is done._

Pushing off, she slid, and slid, and slid, and slid, and-----

“Wait, I see you and now I don’t see you?” Mystic asked confused.

“I see you too,” Andrea exclaimed.  
“But then you keep going back to the top, like forking magic.”

“Why the hello is this happening? Try to find something that might help.”

Andrea searched around the room, which Mystic noticed was rather colorful, whimsical, girly, and downright creepy.

“I found something,” Andrea shouted.  
“A note.  _Stuck in a rut? Try to have fun. When you enjoy it, the ride will be done._ ”

“What does that mean?”

“I think you have to have fun riding the slide.”

“Well, I’m not having fun!”

“Just fake it.”

Huffing, Mystic let out a half-hearted “whee,” but to no avail. She was still sliding endlessly.

“Wait. I think you have to ACTUALLY enjoy it,” Andrea told her matter-of-factly.

“Oh…..YA THINK?” Mystic snapped.

“C’mon, you’re majoring in acting. Just act like you’re having the time of your life.”

Gathering up all of the fun memories-being with friends, creative inspiration, applause at karaoke, shows she’s been in, anything-Mystic let out a giggle and then a laugh that went on for several seconds. For a moment, she even genuinely enjoyed the ride. And just as the note said, she felt her feet touch the carpet. Also pastel pink and super soft.

Mystic tried to stand up, but all of that spiral sliding had made her incredibly disoriented. As she stumbled, Andrea rushed over and helped her regain her sense of balance.

“You feeling okay?”

“A bit dizzy and confused as hello, but otherwise okay. Any idea where the fork we are?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” shrugged Andrea, who Mystic noticed had on a light navy-blue nightgown.  
“How’d you get here?”

Mystic shrugged.

“I was back in my apartment getting ready for bed and out of nowhere, this figure busted in and chloroformed me. You?”

“I’d just gotten high on edibles when I got knocked out.”

“You think we’re the only ones here?”

“If we’re both thinking that the same person trapped us here, and this isn’t just a hallucination from the edibles, then probably not. Wait. Who’s that?”

Andrea pointed to a vanity covered in pictures of doll faces covered in makeup. Below it was a woman in a neon pink night gown, her head laying down on the top of the pastel purple vanity. She had platinum blonde hair.

“They captured Trisha Paytas too?” Mystic exclaimed quietly.

“I dunno.”

Both of them cautiously approached her when she gave a yawn.

“Oh bed sheet, I feel so forking disgusting. I swear to Golly Gee, I’ll never down four forking glasses of milk again.”

The woman had a rather low voice, and a familiar one.

“Nikita?” Mystic asked hesitantly.

The woman turned her head around in a strange way.

“Mystic?” she gasped as she got up to hug her.  
“Honey, what the hello are you doing here? And why can’t I forking swear?”

“Hi to you too, not-Trisha-Paytas,” Andrea huffed.

“We have no clue,” Mystic answered as they pulled away.  
“What happened to you?”

“I was at a party last night,” Nikita explained.  
“We were downing glasses of milk----no, I meant to say glasses of milk! BEAVER DAM IT, LET ME SWEAR, YOU FORKING SONG OF A BEACH. Anyway, we were drinking when I had this major headache. I went to the restroom and then I just blacked the fork out.”

“So none of us remember anything that happened after?” Mystic asked.

They shook their heads.

“This is concerning. We need to find the others, if there are others, but we also need to find out who did this to us and how we can escape.”

The three of them walked towards the door only to find that it was locked.

"Great," Mystic huffed.

“There’s a note,” Nikita exclaimed.

Grabbing it, she read aloud.

“ _Trying to leave? Don’t fly yet from the nest. Go to your closet, so you can look your best.”_

The three of them looked behind them to find the sudden appearance of three closets, each with their names on them.

“I mean, I guess we can’t exactly wear our nightgowns all day,” Andrea shrugged.

“We can, technically, but I don’t think we want to,” Mystic added.

The three of them walked to their closets and opened them up. They were surprised to find that they were huge walk-ins. Browsing her selection, Mystic found that every single clothing item was mainly white, and the majority of them were dresses.

“Hey girls,” she called out.  
“Is it just me or do you only have dresses of one color?”

“Mine are all this navy-forking-blue color,” Andrea replied.

“Mine are all neon pink, but I’m not exactly complaining,” Nikita added.  
“Except none of these are procreation-y. Wait, THAT’S a swear word as well?”

“Oh Golly Gee,” Mystic gasped.  
“This is worse than before.”

In the end, she picked a white dress with a blue bow in the back, along with some Mary Janes. Grabbing a hair brush, she’d only just touched it to her scalp when her blonde hair curled up into adorable golden Southern Belle curls. She also felt a bow appear on the back of her hair.

“My hair just put itself up in pigtails,” Andrea exclaimed horrified.

“Lucky you,” Nikita called out.  
“I’ve got this sixties, Stepford wife hairdo with a matching head band. Not at all forking procreation-y.”

“I’ve got Southern Belle curls,” Mystic added.  
“And a bow.”

At the same time, gloves appeared on their hands.

“What the hello is this? Some kind of weird forking dollhouse?” she exclaimed.

“That could explain the ball joints,” Andrea called out.

Mystic decided to step out, but before she could, a mirror fell from the ceiling. Mystic tried to look away, but a pair of hands turned her head back.

“Don’t forget to smile,” the mirror told her in a creepy robot voice.  
“You look pretty when you smile. You want to be pretty.”

She tried shutting her eyes, but a smaller pair of hands forced them to stay open. Sighing, Mystic gave a smile and the hands retracted. All of a sudden, a white light flashed from the mirror and Mystic shrieked, shutting her eyes. When she opened them again, the mirror was gone.

“What was that?” she exclaimed as she ran out of her closet  
“That mirror just flashed a light in my eyes.”

“You too?” Andrea gasped as she came out wearing a poofy light navy-blue dress and pig tails decorated with matching bows.

“Me too, but mine was neon pink,” Nikita groaned as she stepped out of the closet wearing a long, neon-pink Sunday-best dress, definitely too conservative for her taste, along with matching Mary Janes.

“Mine was that light-navy-blue.”

“I have a strange feeling that it’s not good either way,” Mystic exclaimed.  
“But anyway, now what?”

“Well, the note said we had to get dressed before we could leave,” Nikita reminded them.

All of a sudden, they heard a click and the door popped open.

“Okay then,” Mystic exclaimed, a little creeped out.  
“Let’s go find the others.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get boujee and maybe a little creepy.

The three stepped out into the hall, also decorated quite quaintly in cute and innocent colors. Yet the innocence of it all gave them no comfort. In fact it seemed all the more sinister.

“I don’t like this place,” Mystic whimpered quietly.  
“This is too Golly Gee beaver dam creepy.”

All of a sudden, a woman in curly brown hair appeared; she was dressed as a maid and had a smile that ventured just into the uncanny valley. In her hands, she held a small stack of white towels.

“Good morning, your majesty,” she greeted enthusiastically, a little too enthusiastically, even a bit robotically.  
“Did you sleep well?”

Mystic whirled her head around. Was this beach talking to someone behind her? Maybe to Nikita? Or Andrea? She turned back to the maid, staring at her questioningly.

“Who…….who were you speaking to?”

“You, your majesty.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Your majesty?”

“Precisely.”

“Me? Mystic?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“You’re calling me, ETNMystic, your majesty?”

“Affirmative.”

“Your majesty implies royalty.”

“That is correct.”

“And you’re calling me your majesty?”

“That is the truth.”

“So you’re saying I’m royalty?”

“You are, your majesty.”

“Royalty of what?”

“This castle.”

“And this castle is where?”

“On earth.”

“Okay, so would I be a princess or a queen?”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m a princess.”

“That is right.”

“I’m THE princess.”

“Positive.”

“Of this castle?”

“Absolutely.”

“What do I rule?”

“Everything.”

“Everything?”

“Certainly.”

Mystic took a moment to catch her breath.

“Okay, so what now?”

“Did you sleep well?” the maid asked again in the same tone.

“I…….I slept.”

“That is good. That is very good that you slept. It is time for you to bathe.”

“Um, I don’t think I need the bath.”

“I have been instructed to bring you to your bath.”

“By whom?”

“By one who rules.”

“By me?”

“No, the advisor.”

“The advisor?”

“The advisor.”

“Do I have to?”

“That is affirmative. We must go now. We are behind schedule.”

Without another word, she grabbed Mystic’s hand and brought her to a large bath…..room? Well it looked more like a luxury bathhouse than a bathroom. Nikita and Andrea followed.

“Oh my Golly Gee,” Nikita gasped as she saw the elegant bathhaven.

“You must change into your bathing gown,” the maid told her, directing her to a nearby privacy screen.

Shutting the privacy screen, Mystic was not at all surprised to discover that this bathing gown was bright white. But putting in on, it felt a bit like a bathing suit. Once she stepped out, the maid led her over to a shower.

“You must rinse yourself before we can begin.”

Shrugging, Mystic stepped inside and pressed a single button. She braced herself for the onslaught of cold water, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was the perfect temperature. The maid turned to Andrea and Nikita and handed them two gowns, matching their colors.

“You must also rinse yourselves. You will then be able to enjoy the amenities of our bathing spa. I must now attend to the princess.”

As she left, Nikita and Andrea stared at each other in disbelief.

“Okay,” Nikita gasped.  
“Not saying that this is luxury or anything, but this place is boujee for sure."

“Yeah, it is,” Andrea replied.

Once Mystic was finished, Nikita stepped inside. The maid then guided Mystic to a weird coffin-looking thing with a separate chamber.

“You must step inside; it shall wash your hair.”

Mystic stepped inside as the body chamber closed on her. She felt her bathing gown dissolve and soon the coffin thing filled with nice warm water which lulled her. A pair of hands massaged her scalp while bringing her hair up into the chamber. Shampoo began to cover her hair as the hands diligently and gently washed it through before rinsing it out. Next conditioner was brushed into her hair. At the same time the bottom chamber filled with soothing body wash which was gently massaged onto every single inch of her body, leaving her refreshed once it was washed out. The same could be said for her hair; it felt as though a weight had been taken off of her.

She felt her body being wrapped in another bathing gown. Once it was finished, the body chamber popped open. Mystic slowly raised her head and stepped out.

“Now we must dry and style your hair,” the maid told her.  
“You must go over to one of those chairs; they will dry your hair as quickly or as slowly as you wish; take as much time as you need to select a style. I must attend to Misses Dragun and Russett.”

The maid walked off, almost robotically. Not thinking much of it, Mystic sat down in the chair as a salon dryer turned on, a silent one. Mystic could feel the nice warm breeze, but there was little to no sound, which relaxed her further, in fact to the point where she must’ve dozed off because she soon felt Nikita shaking her gently.

“Honey, wake up. You need to pick a style. I’ve already picked mine.”

Mystic opened her eyes. She was wearing the exact same style she wore in _Escape the Night._

“Uh, I’m not really sure what to go with.”

“Go with the curls you had earlier,” Andrea suggested as she sat in the dryer.  
“They looked cute on you.”

Mystic shrugged and stared at a control pad. Pressing the option for Southern Belle Curls, the dryer came back onto her hair. She gently felt her hair being tugged, turned, and twirled. In a matter of moments, her hair was curled.

At that point, the maid came back and, using a specialized towel, covered Mystic’s hair, before leading her over to another section of the spa.

“Please lie on the table.”

Once Mystic got up there, a steamer mask came down and quickly blasted her face with a huge dose of steam. She could feel her pores open up when the maid took a charcoal cleanser and rubbed it in.

“This must dry before we can peel it off. In the meantime, we shall go to the collagen, rose petal bath.”

Leading her over, Mystic stepped inside of a pool filled with collagen and white rose petals. Soon after Andrea joined her and a few of the petals turned navy-blue. After that Nikita stepped in and some of them turned neon-pink.

“It’s so weird,” Andrea exclaimed, her speech a bit muffled due to her face feeling a little stiff from the peeling mask.  
“We each have this, like, signature color.”

“What’s collagen supposed to do exactly?” Nikita asked.

“I think,” Mystic shrugged.  
“It’s supposed to help with anti-aging.”

Hearing this, Nikita gasped.

“Oh, fork me up, honey!”

“Once your pores are closed up, we have a sake and green tea treatment, as well as a collagen-peel mask, a coffee bath, and a red wine bath, not particularly in that order,” the maid told them.  
“These are beneficial for treating acne and combatting aging.”

“Beach,” Nikita squealed in disbelief.  
“I am gonna look like a forking baby when this is done.”

“It’s a little strange, though,” Mystic suspected.  
“A lot of these baths are supposed to combat aging, according to the maid. Why aging?”

“I don’t know, and frankly I don’t care,” Nikita scoffed.  
“This feels so forking amazing!”

Once the masks dried and peeled off, their faces were steamed and covered with a collagen paste that would dry and then peel off, giving their faces a youthful glow. Soaking in the green tea, sake, and red wine also gave them a youthful glow, while the coffee bath woke them up.

Next they went into specialized booths that shaved and smoothed their legs and underarms as well as worked on their eyebrows. After a quick massage, they rested in a hot tub with chocolates, strawberries, and other delectables.

“Have you ever been to a spa like this?” Nikita laughed happily as she munched on a chocolate-covered strawberry.  
“This is the best!”

Mystic had to agree. In spite of all of the strangeness, she’d never enjoy a spa day more.

“This process must take ages, though.”

“Oh no,” the maid assured her.  
“Time stops when you are in here. You can come in here at 9 am, spend 12 hours in here; when you leave, it will still be 9 am that same day.”

Mystic blinked rapidly in disbelief.

“Time…..stops?”

The maid, smiling, nodded.

“How?”

She didn’t answer. Instead she went into an antechamber and emerged with more chocolates and fruits. The maid left Mystic with an uneasiness in her stomach.

“Mystic, honey, don’t be too worried,” Nikita assured her.

“If you would like,” the maid offered.  
“I can add some anti-anxiety elixirs to this bath. In fact, we have elixirs for every ailment.”

“I think she could use that,” Nikita agreed nodding.

“Um, no thank you,” Mystic denied.  
“I believe I can manage. Except I don’t know how I’m going to have room for breakfast.”

“We have specialized gummies that will speed up your digestion and metabolism, allowing you to eat more,” the maid informed them.

Mystic was left speechless. Speed up her metabolism? Weight Watchers would forking hate this place.

After a while, they were finished and dried off before changing into their clothes they picked earlier.

“You’ll be back again tonight, of course,” the maid told them.  
“We’ll be particularly focusing on the massage, as it shall help you to fall asleep much more easily.”

As they left, Mystic couldn’t help but wonder why the hello she or any of them were there in the first place. She’d tried to shrug it off, but it kept nagging her. But another thing that was nagging at her was her stomach, so she kept brushing the thought aside as the door closed behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone want to take a guess on the identity of the maid?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you're already hungry, then prepare to feel hungrier cuz I'm about to describe some foods.
> 
> Oh, and we get more info on the maid and they free the first of many friends.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This doesn't take place in the same universe as "The Catacombs." It still belongs to the Possession AU, but you'll get more of "The Catacombs" in due time.

As they descended the stairs, Mystic felt as though they were being watched. There were posters of smiling people everywhere, and she swore she saw some of their eyes move as they made their descent. She tried to tell this to Nikita and Andrea.

“Honey, I think you need to chill,” Nikita told her with a small laugh in her voice.  
“So what if it’s a little creepy? This luxury outweighs it by a bed sheet-ton.’

“I kind of agree with you both,” Andrea replied hesitantly.  
“I do have a strange feeling about this place, but this luxury stuff is also amaze-tennis-balls. And how is that a swear word?”

Nikita shrugged.

“My point is, try to have some fun. When are you gonna get to do this again?”

“Tonight, apparently,” Mystic mumbled.

After a few more moments, the maid led them into an elegant dining room.

“Here we are,” she told them.  
“Welcome to the grand dining room.”

And grand indeed it was. The ceiling, either that or Mystic, was as high as a kite. The table was as long as a football stadium and gilded gold while the table cloth was a red velvet and embroidered in pure gold. The girls could immediately tell where their places were. One chair had a place that was decorated in neon-pink, another in light navy-blue, and another, with a light glowing down upon it, was a place covered in pure white, a color that gave Mystic a feeling of uneasiness. There was something about white being associated with her that gave her the creeps. In spite of its symbolism being a concept that Mystic had a fascination with, it was creepier when that concept was associated with her, particularly by those who she barely knew.

Speaking of those she barely knew, who the hello was this maid? She seemed familiar. All of a sudden, Mystic had a thought.

“Hey, I was wondering,” she announced to the maid.  
“You never gave us your name. What is it?”

“There is no need,” the maid smiled.  
“Servants do not have names.”

“No name?” Mystic exclaimed.  
“That’s ridiculous. Everyone has a name. What’s yours?”

The maid thought for a long while, to the point where Mystic noticed that she seemed to be getting a headache.

“N,” the maid squeaked, trying not to let the pain show.  
“If you wish, you may call me N.”

N.

“Okay, got it.”

N led them over to the end of the table as various butlers and maids came out, also walking rather robotically, carrying tray upon tray of covered dishes. The first one placed gummies on their plates, the latter laced in gold. They chewed them. Mystic tasted a grape Hi-Chew.

“Turquoise-flavored gummies?” Nikita exclaimed.  
“Wait. Really? How the hello is turquoise a bad word?”

“Fork turquoise,” Andrea scoffed.  
“I’ve got some violet-flavored ones.”

“It seems that types of alligator become censored here,” Mystic observed.  
“Even alligator itself.”

“What did you get?” Andrea asked.

Mystic blushed. Clearly hers wasn’t going to get censored like theirs’ were and it would be quite a testament to her age.

“Grape-flavored Hi-Chew candies,” she mumbled shyly as she glanced at the floor.

“Why are you being a shy beach?” Nikita asked.

“It makes me feel like I’m forking twelve,” Mystic grumbled.  
“You gals have gummies flavored like different types of alligator, while I’ve got candy-flavored.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Andrea shrugged.

“But I want to have a grand-time sort of taste.”

The other two women stared at Mystic confused.

“Wait,” Mystic exclaimed puzzled.  
“I meant to say that I want to have a sort-of avast taste. Beaver dam it! Is granding-time really a bad phrase here?”

“So you want an elderberry kind of taste?” Andrea asked, covering her mouth when she heard what came out of it.  
“That’s forking weird. I meant to say elderberry, but instead it came out as elderberry.”

“Those are the same,” Nikita reminded her.

“I only meant to say elderberry the second time in that sentence,” Andrea clarified.  
“The first time I said it, I wanted to say elderberry minus the word berry.”

Now it hit Nikita.

“Wait. Will it let us say youth? Innocence? Children?”

“You just answered your own beaver dam questions,” Andrea scoffed.  
“But that is weird.”

“Your appetizers are here,” N announced before they could go further into discussion.

Several dozen butlers raised their covers to unveil steaming hot dishes of chocolate croissants, bread and butter, small quiches, deviled eggs, various kind of donut holes, cinnamon rolls, buttery potato pastries, small sausages, slices of beef perfectly cooked, small sirloins, all of the bells and whistles.

“If you wish to have more,” N told them.  
“Please ring these bells or blow these whistles.”

One of the butlers placed the aforementioned bells and whistles at each place on the table. Once again they were color-coordinated to each of them. Mystic took a crispy breakfast roll and bit into it. Immediately her mouth began to water.

“Oh my Golly Gee!” she sighed.  
“This is so good.”

“Hungry, are you?” N asked innocently.

“Girl, you have to try these cinnamon rolls,” Nikita exclaimed.  
“There almost as pure as----“

All of a sudden, they heard a familiar scream from the kitchen. Curiously, Mystic stood up to investigate. Surprisingly N didn’t try to stop her right away.

“You must be seated, your majesty,” she exclaimed.

“I just wanted to pay the chef a compliment.”

“We can tell them for you.”

“I think it’d be politer for me to tell them myself.”

She kept pushing against N, and vice-versa, and in the end, Mystic was able to peek into the large kitchen and spy a familiar face.

The woman was petite and adorable. Decked out in a Minnie-Mouse-style aesthetic of red with white polka-dots with a matching bow, resting in between two black mouse ears. In the center of the bow was a red rose clip and a white pearl necklace sat upon her neck, strikingly similar to her clone’s outfit in that dollhouse video with Rebecca Zamolo, but more looking like Minnie Mouse due to the poofy sleeves and skirt that went past her knees, embroidered adorably in black. On her legs were a pair of long, black leggings and her feet had adorable, yellow shoes with neatly-tied bows. Her hands donned a pair of pure-white gloves. On one ankle was a cuff connected to a long chain that went into the wall.

_Speaking of cinnamon rolls._

The _Nerdy Nummies Theme Song_ was playing on full-blast in her head.

“Rosanna?” Mystic exclaimed.

Ro turned to spy Mystic and her face lit up.

“Mystic!” she squealed, running over to hug her.

They embraced each other for a while. Mystic could smell strawberries and powdered sugar radiating off of her.

"What's with the scream?" Mystic asked.

"Oh, I just burnt a pancake," Ro shrugged.  
"No biggie."

“Oh. Anyway, you’re being held captive here?” Mystic asked.

“Of course not!” Ro gasped.

Incredulous of the answer, Mystic indicated to the chain and cuff. Ro looked down and giggled.

“Oh that? They told me it’s just a precaution. I love baking and cooking, so when they told me I’d be the head chef and baker of the castle, how could I say no?”

“I mean, that’s nice,” Mystic agreed before coming back to her point.

She motioned for Ro to come in closer.

“There’s something strange going on here. I feel it. Some of our vocabulary is being censored by some mysterious force, we have ball-joints at our elbows and knees, there seems to be a huge emphasis on youth, and just look at these clothes. They look like doll clothes.”

“I know,” Ro squeaked excitedly.  
“Aren’t they adorable?”

“Yes, but that’s not the point. The point is that something strange is going on here, and we could use all the help we can get. Andrea Russett and Nikita Dragun are also out with me. I really want you to be with us, but you’ll have to agree to abandon your post.”

All of a sudden, Ro’s face became concerned.

“They told me that the advisor doesn’t like it when staff leave their posts.”

The advisor. N had talked about the advisor earlier.

“Who’s they?”

“They did. The other staff.”

“Okay, and who’s the advisor? Did they say anything about the advisor?”

Ro shook her head.

“Just that they gave me this post.”

Mystic sighed loudly in frustration.

“I know you don’t like to let people down, but we really need your help. You told Justine that you’re a Gryffindor, right? Channel that inner Gryffindor. Defy the advisor, abandon your post, and help us find a way out.”

The concern on Ro’s face grew and Mystic could tell she was having a sort-of moral dilemma. Finally she motioned Mystic in even closer.

“There’s an electric bread knife by the refrigerator,” she whispered.  
“Find that and use it to cut the cuff off.”

“But what if you get hurt?”

“I’ll be fine,” she shrugged as they pulled away.

Ro went over to the fridge and opened a nearby drawer before taking out a wireless bread knife. Next she led Mystic into the furthest-back part of the kitchen.

“Try not to be too loud,” she whispered as Mystic got on her knees and switched on the knife.  
“The butlers might hear you.”

Turning the knife onto low, Mystic gently touched it against the steel. A squeak could be heard from the contact, but Mystic kept pushing down, only stopping when she thought someone might be alerted to the noise. In a matter of about ten to fifteen minutes, the cuff fell to the floor with a clink and Ro stepped away, now free.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed, squeezing her tightly.

“No problem,” Mystic replied as they pulled away.  
“Do you know how many of us are here?”

Ro shook her head.

“Have you seen any of the others?”

“I think I saw Andrea Brooks go into the throne room about half an hour ago," Ro informed her quietly.  
"It’s likely it’s more than just her, though. We better get to the table before the maid comes back here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you all spam me with "But Ro's a Hufflepuff!" I have evidence that she indeed says she's a Gryffindor. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWXZwFoL-Kw
> 
> Go to the 13:29 mark. 
> 
> Just because she's a sweet cinnamon roll doesn't automatically make her a Hufflepuff.
> 
> SHOUTOUT OPPORTUNITY TIME: What Hogwarts house am I in? Why do you think I'd be in that?
> 
> Answer based on your current impression of me/what you already know about me.
> 
> First one to guess correctly and give a sufficient amount of evidence for that will be given a shoutout in the summary of the next chapter.
> 
> I will also shout you out if you don't guess correctly, but ONLY if your argument for why you believe I'm in another Hogwarts house is sufficient enough.
> 
> NO CHEATING. If you do cheat, please admit it and I may still consider you for a shoutout because honesty is a good thing sometimes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get mysterious.  
> I'm extending the Hogwarts House guessing game to.....idk yet, but I would love to get more arguments for what house you think I'm in

As they crept back into the dining room, they were surprised to find that another place had been set up. This color scheme was red with white polka dots.

“Ah, Miss Pansino,” N greeted them casually, causing them to yelp and jump in shock.  
“Please come and sit. You’re just in time for the main course.”

Mystic blinked rapidly in confusion. It seemed as though nothing had happened, but she wasn’t exactly complaining. She led Ro to her place at the table before sitting at her own.

“Mystic, you’re back!” Andrea gasped.

“Yeah, and speaking of cinnamon rolls, Nikita.”

She gestured to the rosy-cheeked cutie who waved at her with her finger.

“Ro?” Nikita exclaimed happily.  
“Honey, how are you?”

“I’m good,” Ro smiled.

“You look so cute,” Nikita squealed.  
“I am loving the Minnie Mouse vibe I’m getting from you.”

“Aww, thanks,” she blushed.  
“You look adorable as well.”

“The entrees are ready,” N announced.

More butlers unveiled their dishes while the appetizer butlers placed a chocolate croissant on Ro’s plate. As they unveiled them, Mystic caught whiffs and sights of dishes such as chocolate-chip pancakes, funfetti pancakes, blueberry pancakes, crepes, waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, fresh fruit of all kinds, French toast, French toast sticks, cinnamon toast, toast in general, hashbrowns, breakfast potatoes, omelets, the whole she-bang.

A maid then gave them each a drink menu. Scanning over it, Mystic noticed that it was rather strange, considering the ages of those at the table.

“Juice boxes? Chocolate milk? Hot chocolate?” she wondered.  
“So many of these are little kid drinks. That’s the, what?, third or fourth time youth has been emphasized. This is getting stranger by the second.”

“Is there any coffee?” Ro asked politely.

N shook her head.

"We don’t serve coffee. I can give you hot chocolate if you wish.”

“Sure.”

“Is it just me,” Mystic piped up once they had ordered drinks.  
“Or is there a lot of emphasis on youth and innocence here?”

“Yeah,” Andrea admitted.  
“I’m starting to feel that there’s something else to this place.”

“I feel like the ball-joints should’ve given it away,” Mystic whispered.  
“But I think we’ve been turned into dolls.”

Hearing this Nikita dropped her fork and Ro stopped cutting into her Mickey Mouse waffle.

“Dolls? Beach, really?” Nikita huffed.

“Hear me out,” Mystic exclaimed.  
“Ball-joints, there’s such a thing as a ball-jointed doll. Dolls also tend to be associated with youth, particularly with little girls. It serves as a more innocent time. Plus, look at the clothing we’re all wearing. Ro’s wearing a Minnie Mouse outfit. Andrea looks like a little sailor girl. Nikita, I don’t even know. And I’m in this white dress with a blue ribbon and matching hair bow. White is also associated with innocence and purity, and those concepts are often associated with those who are either children or childlike. It only makes sense to theorize that we’ve been turned into dolls! But you do know what this means, right? Andrea, we said it earlier. We could be in a dollhouse.”

“You’re starting to sound like a fiction writer,” Ro told her with a hint of concern in her voice.

“Well, reality is often even stranger than fiction, and as of right now, THIS is our reality.”

“That’s fine and all,” Nikita groaned.  
“Well, actually it’s not if what you’re saying is true, but whatever. Anyway that’s whatever, but can you please eat your breakfast, girl? I’m itching to go see more of this place.”

Mystic and the others took a while but soon finished their food. Once they were done, the maid escorted them to the throne room. Once again, the ceiling was tall as hello. The walls were made of smoothed stone and a velveteen red carpet led up ahead to the throne where Andrea Brooks, who was wearing a dress of dark purple stripes was robotically polishing it.

“I must check on other things,” N exclaimed before leaving.

“Clean, clean, clean,” Andrea B. chanted robotically as she kept returning to parts of the throne and polishing them.

“Uh, homegirl over there’s got me shook,” Nikita shivered.

“Yeah,” Mystic agreed in discomfort.

It was as if she was stuck in a time loop, one that seemed to keep her out of awareness of their existence.

“I should see if she’s okay.”

“But what if she attacks you?” Andrea R. asked.

“I doubt she will,” Mystic explained.  
“If what N says is true, then I’m apparently the princess of this place.”

“You’re not scared?”

“No, I’m forking terrified, but unless any of you wanna do it, I’ll take the fall, I guess.”

Hesitantly, Mystic crept over to her.

“Uh, hey, Andrea,” she greeted her.  
“What are you up to?”

“Cleaning, your majesty,” Andrea replied robotically.

“How long have you been cleaning for?”

“Since two weeks ago. I’ve had to leave and come back for more polish and water.”

“Don’t you get hungry?”

“What is hunger?”

“Thirsty?”

“What is thirst?”

Mystic was now incredibly creeped out. She had to do something about this or else Andrea was going to exhaust herself to death. All of a sudden, her eyes fell on the bucket of water she was using and it gave her an idea.

“Is that water?” she asked curiously.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“How warm is it?”

“Not.”

“Not at all?”

“The throne polish requires ice-cold water.”

 _How convenient,_ Mystic thought.

Once Andrea turned back around, without another word, she lifted the bucket and, praying the shock of the cold water wouldn’t paralyze her, flung it at Andrea. She stopped what she was doing and dropped the rag of polish. Mystic’s heart jumped in her throat. Had she paralyzed her? Had she killed her?

“What the?” Andrea groaned slowly as she turned around.  
“Where am I? Mystic? Is that you?”

She nodded.

“I don’t know if I can explain everything now,” Mystic told her.  
“But I feel like there’s something up with this place. How did you get here?”

She shrugged.

“I was just watching _Alice in Wonderland,_ the old one not the new one by the way, and all of a sudden I passed out. Later on I woke up to a woman swinging a pocket watch in my face and everything’s blurry after that.”

“Was it the advisor?”

“I don’t know. They didn’t tell me much about the advisor when I got the job.”

“What DID they tell you?”

Andrea gave this some thought.

“I think they said the advisor’s rather cunning and powerful. But I don’t know for sure. But they did emphasize that the advisor has an obsession with the ideas of youth and innocence.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

Before they could say anything more, the maid stepped in.

“You must sit down, your majesty,” she told her in a tone with a small hint of malice.

Not wanting to anger N, Mystic frightfully took her seat.

“There’s someone here who wishes to see you,” N smiled before exiting without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waverly began it all


	5. Chapter 5

For a few moments, no one said a word as they all waited for N to send in whoever was here to see Mystic. The awkwardness began to increase over time until finally Mystic spoke up. 

"Should I just go and see if they're okay?"

"I wouldn't," Andrea B. discouraged.  
"I have no idea why, but this castle gives me the creeps."

"Why?" Rosanna wondered.  
"It's so colorful and pretty!"

"Looks can be deceiving."

All of a sudden, an eccentric laugh broke through as the door opened. In entered a man in a period-esque scholar's outfit, carrying and dropping a ton of scrolls.

"Your majesty," he chattered eagerly, sending chills down everyone's spines.  
"I've determined the answers."

Mystic blinked in confusion.

"To.....what?"

"EVERYTHING!"

"That's forking impossible," Nikita scoffed.  
"No one can know the answers to EVERYTHING."

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho," he chortled.  
"Are you so so so sure sure sure?"

"Yeah," Andrea R. nodded unsettled by his demeanor.

"Who are you anyway?" Mystic questioned.

"I'm the Royal Scholar," he hooted.  
"But you can call me Matthew."

Mystic snapped her fingers in realization.

"I THOUGHT you looked familiar."

The brown-haired eccentric giggled in reply.

"Indeed. Now ask me anything. ANYTHING AT ALL. I'll have the answer for it. I guarantee it."

Gulping, the group huddled around.

"You really think he's got the answer to everything?" Rosanna wondered.

"Nah, girl," Nikita shook her head.  
"He's forking with us, I'm beaver dam sure of it.

"If so, then how can we be truly sure?" Andrea B. posed inquisitively.

This took a bit of brain power, but finally Mystic snapped her fingers.

"I've got it. You all give him easy questions to settle his guard. Then I'll lay it on him."

Breaking they turned back to him.

"Okay," Andrea R began.  
"What's two plus two?"

"Four," he replied without missing a beat.

"What's the capital of France?" Andrea B. followed.

"Paris."

"What's the square root of 36?" Rosanna quizzed.

"Six."

"What does BTS stand for and who is my bias?" Nikita blurted out.

"Bangtan Boys and Jimin."

Nikita blinked rapidly.

"Mystic, now'd be a good time to lay it on him."

Nodding, Mystic took a deep breath and asked.

"Why do hotdogs come in packages of ten and hotdog buns come in packages of eight?"

This one caused his eyes to spread wide.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Why do hotdogs come in packages of ten and hotdog buns come in packages of eight?"

Mystic could hear the gears of his brain setting to work. Throwing down his scrolls, he searched them frantically, then twice, then thrice, panting incessantly. But finally he gave up.

"I---I don't know."

The phrase seemed to set something off because he fell to the floor. Nikita and the others ran over to him.

"Is he.....dead?" Mystic wondered.

"No," Nikita assured her disappointedly.  
"He's breathing."

All of a sudden, he sat up and opened his eyes, rubbing his head.

"Where the hello am I?"

"Welcome back, Matt," Andrea B greeted him.

"What happened to you?" Ro pushed.

He shrugged.

"All I remember was that I was about to go to bed and then I felt a blow to the back of my head. Now I'm here......surrounded by scrolls?"

"Do you know anything about this place?"

He gave this some thought.

"One thing, but it's more of a hypothesis; I think there's some sort of mastermind behind this."

"Mastermind?" Rosanna gasped.

"It's probably the Ultimate Despair," Mystic cracked.

"I'm serious!" Matt quipped.

"I'm not doubting you," Mystic defended.  
"But I just can't help but relate the term mastermind to that franchise. Anyway you wanna--?"

"Help? Yes."

"Well, that was fast," Andrea R. exclaimed.

"Oh wait," he gasped.  
"There's something else. It's about the Possession. It's not you who started this, Mystic."

There was a moment of silence as he let this sink in.

"Whaaaaaaaa?" Mystic questioned.

He nodded.

"You were just the catalyst for the revival. The truth, from what I heard, is that this Possession actually began centuries ago. Probably around the Middle Ages or the Renaissance or somewhere in between those two times."

"How did it forking begin then?" Nikita interrupted.

He shrugged defeated.

"No clue, but if we stick together, we might be able to find out this bed sheet together."

"And turn off that forking word filter?"

"That too."

Right at that moment, N returned with a smile on her face.

"Your majesty," she replied almost robotically.  
"Lunch is ready."

"Alright, food! I'm starving," Matt groaned in relief.

And they followed her out the door.


End file.
